Northwood house total loss after fire

Northwood fire crews battle a blaze in the 900 block of Gould Street early today.

A Northwood firefighter carries a hose through water and ice while battling a house fire at 905 Gould Street in Northwood.

Editor's note: This article corrects that one house was on fire.

Area fire crews fought a house fire in Northwood today, authorities said.

A woman had escaped unhurt by the time the first fire crews arrived about 7:50 a.m. and found the house in the 900 block of Gould Street fully engulfed in flames, Northwood Fire Chief Joel Whitmore said.

Firefighters had the blaze under control in about an hour, but not before the single-story, wood frame house was a total loss, Chief Whitmore said. Northwood firefighters were assisted by crews from Lake Township, Oregon, and the Allen-Clay joint fire district.

Because of the cold weather, with the temperature about -10 degrees and the wind chill at least -25 degrees, firefighters had to work in 20-minute shifts, Chief Whitmore said. It took dozens of firefighters to get the blaze under control, with their exact number unknown, the fire chief said.

The exact address and the damage estimate were unavailable. The cause of the fire was under investigation.

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